Pre-Columbian, Peru, Highlands, Cajamarca region, Late Intermediate Period, ca. 1000 CE. A rare, large, hand-built ceramic olla supported by three standing human figures. Each figure is nearly identical: standing on thick legs and flat feet, knees slightly bent as if bearing a great weight, with rounded bodies whose chests connect to the sides of the olla and spindly arms that extend straight outward to touch the olla just below its widest point. Each has a flattened face with enormous almond-shaped eyes, broad nose, and thin-lipped mouth stretched into a long line. Loops at the sides of each head may represent ears but could also serve as points for suspension. Each figure wears a low, conical cap with a long tail and a loincloth; these are painted white, as is a broad stripe around the upper body. The faces have thin white and red lines that may indicate facial paint, scarification, or tattoos. The olla itself is painted with similar white and red lines that radiate from a narrow band around its neck down its upper sides. Size: 11.75" W x 12.8" H (29.8 cm x 32.5 cm)

This vessel would have been made to hold an offering of chicha, corn-based beer that was consumed at important ritual events and also used to mark graves. This region did not have the centralized pottery production that many other areas did, and as a result there is great variability in styles. An elaborate piece like this, which would have required great skill to make and would have been commissioned by an elite member of society, was likely the only one of its kind ever made. Imagine it in use during a ritual feast, filled with pungent chicha, surrounded by other intricate vessels - demonstrating the wealth of the noble family able to afford them and the food on the table.

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) analysis and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hans Juergen Westermann collection, Germany, collected from 1950-1960s

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#151851

Expertly repaired and restored from multiple pieces; this is extremely well done and almost impossible to discern. Almost all pigment remaining is original and there are great manganese deposits and firing marks on the surface.TL holes on foot of man and bottom of jar.